Seòmar agus comataidhean

My predecessor, Maree Todd, hosted a short-life working group that brought together the different groups to see how the situation could be approached. Could we use byelaws or would we have to go through legislation? Could we use mediation services?

The former First Minister also hosted three round-table meetings that brought stakeholders in to give their views. Gillian Mackay’s consultation had almost 12,000 responses from both sides of the argument. We have also taken legal advice specifically about the balance between the different rights that we have.

The Scottish Government absolutely recognises that people have the right to religion and to protest. That is why we believe that the proposals are proportionate in ensuring that we balance those rights with the rights of women to access healthcare safely and in privacy.

We are working on that and having discussions with the health boards. I also met representatives from local authorities a couple of months ago to discuss the issue.

We have not scoped out the guidance yet, but we are working on it and that work will continue in parallel with the bill as it progresses.

When we were constructing the bill, we needed to look at future proofing it, and the way that women access abortions and the locations where abortions may be provided may change in the future. We currently have no plans to extend to other places. Just now, it is specifically about safe access zones, to the extent of 200m, around 30 locations that currently provide abortions.

We need to be able to modify the bill as required, to respond to changes in healthcare. That is important. I would be interested in seeing in your committee report the evidence that you have acquired on whether there should be a minimum and maximum area for safe zones. We are currently looking at 30 premises, but we must be able to future proof as healthcare abilities change.

I go back to the intention. If it were the intention to impede, alarm or distress women attending abortion services, silent prayer would be included. We have not specifically laid out what the actual acts are. However, we have laid out what the intention of the acts is.

That is a really good question, and it is one that I have been playing out in my mind. The bill is set out to protect women who are accessing abortion services, and you heard some very powerful evidence from women who have obtained abortions about how they felt and the impact that walking past demonstrators had on them.

The police would make that judgment. The activity will be captured, depending on the facts and the circumstances around what is happening.

I do not have such an example. If I can come back to the committee with an example, I am happy to do so.

To go back to the silent prayer issue, I think that it is important to highlight that the Supreme Court also recognised silent prayer in its views on the Northern Ireland legislation, and acknowledged that it could cause distress.

As for other types of protest, as I have said previously, the legislation is narrow and specifically covers people who protest against abortion or who offer the pro-life message. Other demonstrations do not fall under the legislation.

Thank you for that question. The frequency of check-ups has been commented on in the media. The yearly review is in-depth and follows the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

However, it is really important for everyone to understand that it is for the dentist to make the decision based on the patient. In response to Dr Gulhane, I referenced the fact that there is not an “average patient”. It is important to recognise that if your dentist feels that you need to be seen more regularly, he or she can choose that.

I was disappointed to be told by my dentist that I had to come back in six months, because I thought that I was looking after my teeth’s health pretty well and was hoping for a check-up in nine months. However, the approach is really focused on the patient. That is what the regulations give us the opportunity to do.

I am sure, Mr Sweeney, that if you were to reflect on that and were being seen by another area of the health service and were told that you did not need to come back in six months but in nine months, you would see that as good news. We need to remember that the frequency of check-ups is based on the patient and the clinical expertise of the dentist.

Thank you for that question. As you will have seen in the BDA’s response to the committee’s letter on the regulations, it said that that approach is actually something that it had been looking for. It feels that managing patients’ oral health is doing things at the right level because we all have a degree of responsibility for looking after our health.

I take on board the point about access; I underline, yet again, that we are seeking to improve access through the payment reforms that we will put in place next week.